Today I’m featuring my Valentine of 28 years….my hubby Brian Olynick! Brian is a “stay true to you” kind of guy and is a talented metaphoric/pictorial writer/speaker and thinker! I love his R1 brain! Often I misspell his name…brain/brian :) Needless to say, I love him and how he thinks! Take time to read this excellent write up and I hope it encourages you as it has me.

The 2014 Superbowl winners, the Seattle Seahawks, are well recognized for their ‘twelfth man.‘ The Seahawks scored twelve seconds into the start of the game on an offensive blooper by the opposing team, the Denver Broncos. The score was contributed to the ‘twelfth man’ of the hawks. As many of you know, each team is allowed eleven players on the field at a time, whether on offense or defense. The ‘twelfth man’ of the Seahawks actually are the fans in attendance!

Century Link Field, Seattle’s stadium, is recognized as the loudest in the National Football League, thus the slogan the‘twelfth man.’ Visiting teams dread playing in Century Link as their offense struggles to hear the audibles by their quarterback which gives Seattle a crazy edge. When the hawks are on offense the ‘twelfth man’ is quiet as a church mouse so ‘their’ quarterback can sound off clear audibles for his team. For the record, the Seattle Seahawks are a great team with the best defense in the league…..the ‘twelfth man’ adds to their greatness.

When you have a ‘twelfth man’ factor, other good things can happen. On the kick off to start the second half, Seattle ran the kickoff to score a touchdown….guess how many seconds into the half…twelve seconds!

There are 2 twelve hour segments on our clock to add up to the 24 hours in a day. Twelve can represent that time is on our side.

The ‘twelfth man’ of the Seattle Seahawks are significant fans with names and faces that create an edge for their team. We all need a ‘twelfth man’ in our lives that cheer for us, celebrate us, encourage us. We need to be the ‘twelfth man’ for others too! It stimulates us to be great, be confident, walk with authority. Take a moment to recognize those who are your ‘twelfth man’ in this season of your life. Also, be cognizant of who you are cheering on and celebrating. Let them know you are part of their ‘twelfth man!’

The ‘twelfth man’ of Seattle all have the common passion for football. Although, within the common love and interest of the game is great diversity, such as defense, offense, coaching, special teams, etc. We all need to know what our distinctives and unique qualities are to give us an edge in our game. Kristen would love to assist you in this with her signature Discover Your Brilliance to help give you an edge in your life.

I learned a valuable lesson the other day. I hope I will remember it always, because it cost me something, actually it cost me quite a lot. It began when I was working diligently on several projects that were of great importance to me. I was committed to focusing on my business’ and giving them the time, energy and yes, the focus that they required and that I would remain true to myself. I was writing again, and really wanted to gain some ground with my book as well as pour myself into my other passions, namely my consulting and skin care business’.

I got the “call” just before noon. My girlfriend who runs several homes for special needs kids was in need of help. Oh no! Just that word “help” and people like me melt. See, I’m a right brain lower limbic (R2) empathsizer and just the word “help” or “I need you” are next to impossible for me to ignore. In a moment, I found myself saying, “I’ll be there!” Dropping everything I was working on, I made a quick call to a client to rearrange our consultation and I was out the door on my way to “help.” For some of you, this is not a distraction for you. Yet, for some wired like me, this is our distraction. We all have them, they just come in different shapes and sizes.

Off I drove to pick up the young girl in need from school. All went well for the first 2 hours of my shift. Until. From nowhere came the first punch. Then the death grip on my arm, which I still have the bruises today. The biting attempts were rather unnerving for me. Sure, I have a background in nursing and have raised a special needs adopted daughter, but a new “caregiver” can trigger a lot and trigger I sure did! Next came the worst “tackle” of my life as I was totally caught off guard. She sprang through the air, full body contact and crashed into me, pummeling my face, kicking and biting. My glasses were smashed with large chunks of my hair pulled out. It was a bad scene.

The moral of my story because I choose to learn something from all my life experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly is, losing one’s focus…..you just may get beat up! The days following this incident I was very sore and needed a chiropractic adjustment as well as new glasses. I also took time to ponder my life’s choices specifically my behaviors. It’s not a bad thing or wrong to be helpful, to desire to help friends out or people with true needs. However, it is not beneficial if this behavior is fueled by doing so to neglect what is truly a need of your own….to focus on what is important to you….to believe in yourself and what your purpose in life is. For me, I so celebrate my friend’s vision and her business, yet to neglect my own is just that, neglectful.

It’s been said that if you don’t have a vision of your own support someone elses’ until you discover your own. I am 100% for you discovering your vision, your passion, to help YOU be successful. Yes, it’s true….we may even need to refocusat times as we are all a work in progress And remember, what we focus on we empower!

Today I write about a subject matter that truly fascinates me and that I desire to increase my skill sets and awareness in, the all important area of decision making, more specifically good decision making. We make decisions every day and numerous ones throughout the day. What and who do we depend on to help us make wise and good decisions? Are there tools/resources to assist us? Who and when to seek out counsel from others? Personally, I’ve made decisions using more of an intuitive approach and values based, right brain; other times I’ve made decisions with factual discussions and practical points, left brain. Today, I choose to base my decisions using the whole brain decision-making process.

In our complicated world with the myriad of interactions we are involved in, we make decisions hundreds of times every day and nothing affects our lives more than the ability to make the……right decisions! Decisions have the power to change our lives forever. Every day we encounter happy and prosperous people as well as unhappy and suffering people, all because of the decisions they have made.

A survey of the American Management Association determined that business people make the right decisions only 50% of the time – surely that is not the acceptable standard of performance! One way of ensuring a greater success rate is to understand and apply the key to successful decision making….the whole brain process!

Understanding your brain preferences is a wise place to start, then all role players need to understand their own brain preferences and those of the other members. This applies to parenting, relationships and nearly all areas of life.

Specific to parenting, parents need to understand their own preferences and that of their child in order to assist their child in choosing the right school, sports, jobs etc. For example, my son & “daughter in love” (I refer to love over using law…I’m an R2 thinker, all about the love with me:), they are in the process of choosing a school for their daughter. They have narrowed the selection down to two. Offering a listening ear, I recognize the whole brain being used in their decision making. Knowing my son’s (R1) & daughter in loves’ (L2) preferences, I understand where their processes and preferences are coming from. Yet, they both are aware of their daughter’s highest quadrant and seek to make their decision according to what is best for her….not only themselves (such as close proximity), but looking at the bigger picture and the best fit for her.

When seeking to make wise and good decisions a whole brain process has to be followed. Here lies the key to making good decisions in life, be it in business, relationships, education, etc., develop the processes of the whole brain and apply them is the way to make sound and better decisions.

I hope this understanding will assist you as you have the power to make….good decisions

I’m excited to share with you a new aspect of discover your brilliance! But before I do, I want to go back a few years and share my skin care journey with you. It all began in 2008 when I was invited by a friend to a skin care party. While there I had my feet soaked, my face masked and my hands smothered in expoliation creme. The hostess was working her tail off to soak about 8 pairs of feet and hands let alone applying cremes & lotions to our faces. What was troubling to me was that there were about 7 steps to the skin care process for my face and I was left feeling confused and overwhelmed, “Why couldn’t there be a one step system for people like me?” I had become interested in skin care for the following reason: having used soap and water my entire life and now in my 40′s I was noticing some changes that weren’t good. While watching Oprah one day, she was promoting the use of Preparation H for under the eyes. In my new found zeal for skin care I rushed to my local Walmart and proceeded to fill my buggy with boxes of the precious product. At the check out my “eyes” were opened to the realization of what I had in my buggy and with a nervous chuckle I explained to the clerk, with an entire line up of customers, that I was not using the product on the area that it was really for….but for under my eyes cause that’s what Oprah said to do. So embarrassing.

I used that product for quite some time before family members and close friends began asking me if I felt okay. Looking into the mirror one day I noticed I had what looked like elephant skin, wrinkly dry skin and I had aged dramatically. I immediately stopped the Preparation H usage and my skin began to recover. Since this experience, I have tried every potion, product and resource available to no avail. Until…….

I first heard of Nerium from a friend. I gave it a try and after only 2 weeks my close friend Annabel contacted me after seeing a recent photo on my facebook timeline. She asked if I had had botox done to my face. With joy I let her know that I hadn’t but that I had a secret. Annabel immediately insisted I bring her a bottle of what we both referred to as “botox in a bottle” and since this time I am sharing my secret “good news” with my friends and family.

I am thankful to have discovered what for me is a great natural skin care product that yes, has a one-step system! I use the night cream and the day moisturizer and my skin couldn’t look better….in my humble opinion. I honestly feel better, no dryness, my pores have shrunk and yes, even my fine wrinkles have disappeared.

I’m all for discovering your brilliance and being the best you can be from the inside out! And I do believe that all things can become new

PSS Nerium has grown astronomically since beginning only two years ago to a $300 million company in the USA alone with only one product. With more products about to be released, new countries primed to open, combined with an amazing personal development system this is a remarkable opportunity. I am currently looking for brand partners to join me on my mission to help others find financial freedom while developing leaders for tomorrow. CLICK HERE to contact me directly

Ahh Christmas! Just the word puts a smile on my face as warm thoughts flood my mind from my childhood. My parents did Christmas well. I was raised far from extended family so our holiday time was simple and focused on time together. We enjoyed the simplest of things, such as skating on our homemade backyard rink which was a yearly devotion, my dad would stand for hours in the cold of night watering that rink to be made ready for our use come daytime. We always went to the forest for our tree….hot chocolate was sipped on the tailgate of our truck. It was the simple things that I treasure the most in my heart…

The question asked, the mantra of “All I want for Christmas” is instilled in us from a very young age. It’s the question children hear from parents eager to please their precious ones with hopes to give them that special something high on their wish list. Even Santa Clause’s question to them is, “What do you want for Christmas?”

Like you, I’ve carried this thought/song/tradition through to my adulthood, asking my son the very same question. Thirteen years ago this question took on a whole different perspective for me. My husband, son and I had returned to Canada from living and working abroad for four years. The re-entry was particularly challenging for my son and me. We had left part of our “family” behind. Years of work to unite us all together was being met with dead-ends, frustration and emotional exhaustion not to mention the financial burden. We received miraculous news July of 2004 informing us that the adoption of our youngest child was complete. Little did we realize that to get her to Canada even from this place of finalization was going to be another test of our strength and determination.

With 2004 coming to an end we still had no idea of when our daughter would be released to us, my husband and I got seriously focused…..and pursued a way for our daughter to finally come home to us. Because all I wanted for Christmas was…….her! Finally, after a 4 1/2 year long separation we were united together again…..on Christmas!I know there are others just like me at this space of time in your life….with a longing, a strong desire, a heart ache to have someone or something manifest in your life that you’ve been waiting for. Please don’t give up. I never did, yet could have so easily.

What do you want for Christmas? If health is an issue…keep going…pursue all you can to attain the health and fitness level you desire. A relationship to be reconciled or restored….pursue all you can to see this through to completion. A financial breakthrough….pursue all you can to see your actions produce a harvest. With no intention to minimize any difficulty you are facing right now, only with hopes to simply add comfort and encouragement for you to pursue all that you want for Christmas.

And with this in mind….I wish you a very Merry Christmas and may your soul prosper abundantly in the new year!

I recently read a great article on Leadership by Dani Johnson. Realizing I share a lot of her views I decided to include her newsletter here today. I hope you enjoy and it will help sharpen your awareness and skills in the necessary and awesome area of leadership. I also want you to be aware that I have a powerful Leadership Style Profile to assist you in discovering which quadrant of your brain your leadership style is in and a lot more awesomeness about you! CLICK HERE

“Leadership is one of the key components for success in the world today (and yesterday). If you’re a business owner, it’s something you must work on and develop every day of your life! But, too often if you don’t see yourself in that traditional leadership position, you might fail to see the importance of showing or grooming your “leader” skill set.

Most people don’t realize the power and influence they have over others. If you’re a mother, you have a huge realm of influence. If you’re a teacher, you’re a leader. Even, if you’re just an “ordinary” person living your life, you have influence over your friends and neighbors!

Think about it, when you’re looking for a new doctor or place to eat, someone to cut your hair, or even to take your dry cleaning… where do you go? To your friends! In this same way you have a similar power of influence over others.

Today, consider the qualities you think make a good leader. Honestly, the only wrong answer is the non-answer! No matter what kind of leader you want to be, there will always be people who don’t agree with what you believe in. And you know what? That is okay!

If you want to continue growing your skills, growing your leadership, take a realistic look at yourself and purposely pinpoint and list your flaws. As the New Year approaches, think about what you could do better and where you can be a better leader – whether at work, in the home or even on Facebook.

If you aren’t sure what makes a strong leader, that is okay too. It’s been a very long time since our society and even our nation has had a strong, compassionate and unifying leader.

Think about the last time you met or heard about a leader who totally inspired you. And if no one comes to mind, then think about a leader who completely missed the mark and what qualities and behaviors they were missing.

About 25 years ago, I met up with a group of entrepreneurs. Because I learned at a young age if there was something I wanted in life to find someone else who has what you want and to do what they do. I studied under this group for years on how to become successful in business and to make money.

If you’re trying to figure out how to become a great leader in life, use that same principle here! Start writing down what traits and assets you think go into a great leader – drawn either from good examples, or bad, in your personal life.

As this New Year fast approaches, let’s rise us up as leaders like our nation has not seen in many, many years. When you’re thinking about your resolutions for 2014, go bigger than you did last year! Come up with something you can work on in your life that could have a huge impact on your circle of influence, your business and your family.”

Friday’s…..gotta love them! Many live by the popular song, “Everybody’s working for the weekend”, and of course we all know what TGIF is referring to…. some time off, down time, me time. Friday’s child is a well known poem, this child is loving and giving. And from this particular thought comes my theme today.

But before I go there…there is another Friday that is on the radar recently and that is Black Friday. Many consumers hit shopping malls for “good deals” and some reserve their Christmas shopping for this designated time. In fact, this Black Friday was the first time I decided to brave the crowds, and the sleepless night and experience this phenomenon. It really was an experience, yet, not as profound as the “stories” I had heard. It was a lot less spectacular than I had conjured in my mind. Having nothing on my list to buy I was simply “along for the ride.” Many rushed from shop to shop, standing in long line ups, multiple bags in hand, and a steaming Starbucks in the other.

I believe getting good deals is most people’s focus on Black Friday, yet I do understand that we (Americans & Canadians in general) have a facination with shopping, buying the latest gadget and keeping up with the Jones’. Statistically speaking, Black Friday and the Christmas season shopping have a tendency to cause overspending and stress upon those who engage in excess. Will Smith’s quote comes to mind, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”

Dani Johnson, another high profile public figure has a lot to say about our shopping tendencies and overspending, “It’s time for you to keep some of that money! We have to train our brains… you can train your brain to adopt the mindset of a champion. Are you going to have a winner’s brain or you going to become part of the cattle shopping stampede? And, after all the frenzy and stress and chaos have passed and you’re ready to face a shiny New Year, what will you have to show? DEBT! Vacation bills, credit card bills, high-interest loans bring the crushing feeling of starting off yet another year with both old and new debt.”

Wow, she’s radical! Suggesting we keep some of our money?!! Say what? Talk about going against the flow! When you think about it, what do we do with all the “stuff” we buy anyway?

Let’s go back to Friday’s child who is loving and giving….how’s this for a radical thought, “Instead of buying even more “stuff” what if we chose to give gifts that would have real meaning and to stop and remember the real reason for the season.” I challenge you to think about this holiday season differently. Instead of digging yourself deeper and deeper into that black hole of debt, what if you shine a light of hope into the lives of those in true need.

I love Friday’s child…she’s loving and giving. Yet, giving is not to create a mountain of debt that causes more stress than any one person is made to handle. How about this season we give out of our abundance…..abundance of heart, what truly does matter and what makes a difference in the lives of others. Give hugs, smiles, acts of kindness, share meals together, board game time, walks in the snow…there are so many ways to express ourselves other than giving from a place of debt to creating more debt for ourselves.

Oh, today is Friday! Happy Friday from a girl who was born on a Friday making me a true Friday’s child…..lots of love sent to you today:)

Discover your brain thinking preferences to determine if you are “wired” for stewarding money well, yes, there is a way to know your “bent” and to further gain understanding and the necessary skill sets for living debt free! Click Here

Thanksgiving…..having been born in the USA, yet living my entire life in Canada (finally a dual citizen after 40 plus years:) I love being able to celebrate both Thanksgivings, one in October and the other in November. It’s a great way to truly be intentional with my heart…. being thankful and giving thanks.

At the top of my list is relationships and that is my focus today. Relationships are the bedrock, the foundation of life….both in business and in family, in everything. We are created to relate, no one can survive for long periods of time alone. Tom Hank’s character in “Cast Away” demonstrates the need we have, the need for relationship with at least one other person. His soccer ball, Wilson, served metaphorically to be his friend, his only friend while stranded on an uninhabited island. He wouldn’t have made it without Wilson:)

It doesn’t matter our personality styles, introvert or extrovert, neither what motivates us, nor our giftings, talents, preferences or learning and leadership styles….relationships are at the heart of the matter.In fact, the beauty of diversity in harmony is what is truly powerful.

One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is to create and maintain meaningful relationships. Understanding your own thinking preferences and your partner’s as well as your closest friends’ can go a long way towards deepening insight into differences, grasping that we do not all have to think and do the same things. I recently saw a post on face book from a male ‘friend’ stating he did not understand females at all. My immediate thought was, “Dude, discover your-self and your thinking preferences first, then you’ll be better able to understand others, even those of the opposite sex.”

Many relationships are fragile at best. We sometimes lack tolerance towards differences. Understanding your brain preferences and those around you will impact your relationships and go a long way towards growing understanding, tolerance and excitement instead of criticism and the constant battle of trying to change others to be more like us! Discover your own thinking style, as remember our first relationship is with our self!

Without further adieu, the importance of understanding your own brain thinking preferences is something I genuinely value as this leads to healthier relationships in general. I would like to offer to you a Thanksgiving special. The Basic Whole Brain Profile Package regularly priced at $77.00 for the next 48 hours this package will be offered at the low price of $47.00 a $30.00 savings! Click Here

Recently on face book I encountered a game. I was totally unawares that it was a game. I had just finished reading 12 things a friend wrote about herself that others may not have known. I was actually blown away by how awesome she is. My heart seemed to smile as I finished reading her 12 things and I felt I knew her just a wee bit more.

Just as I “Liked” her post and wrote “You are amazing” I received a post to my timeline from my amazing friend. “Ok, so I guess the game goes like this, you like or comment on a status and you’re given a number to repeat the process. So, I give you 12 as well:)”

I have never played games on face book just because I usually don’t take the time…for such trivial things

Before I knew it, my creative juices began flowing and I was writing…thoughts poured from my memory bank and within 3 minutes I had my 12:

1) I love numbers!! Referring to their meaning not an accountant numbers person
2) While serving as my grad class President I got into a fist fight with the Secretary/Treasurer & was suspended
3) I had to wear the hand me down underwear of my older sister & let’s just say she wasn’t a size small
4) One New Years Eve in Mexico I had emergency surgery & was operated on, cut hip bone to hip bone without anesthetic….really wanted a whiskey bottle!
5) Always wanted 3 sons…..what was I thinking?!! Daughters are amazing!!
6) I may appear an extrovert (just because I love ppl & their stories) yet by nature am an intuitive introvert
7) Need 3 lifetimes to do all that I want to do….i’m addicted to change from the place of wanting to do new things…all the time!!
Met & married my guy in a 4 month window, been married 27.5 years….we also work together in biz & ministry
9) Freakishly afraid of mosquitos….specifically what they give you!
10) I am a recovering people pleaser.
11) My fight or flight reactors are almost always on: I once came upon a horrific brawl btwn 2 ginormous men…without a moments thought I jumped onto one guys back (all 108 lbs of me) & whispered into his ear “You don’t want to do this” And he stopped smashing the other guys face into a car bumper.
12) I am more afraid of success than failure….working on that

The responses and likes were quick to come in. One thing I learned from this “game” is that we as human beings enjoy learning about ourselves and others….we enjoy stories. I believe companies such as Starbucks have really tapped into this human desire of ours in the 21st century.

As I thought further about this game and games in general I recalled the famous quote of Albert Einstein “Games are the most elevated form of investigation.”

Then I thought further and deeper…..we live in the Information Era….such a left-brain world it is! With computer programming (programmed us right out of our right hemisphere that’s for sure) to our school, business and health systems, just about everything in our Western society is programmed for the processes of the left-brain. Truly it is imperative to not only value the processes of our right hemisphere such as investigation, problem solving, empathy, holistic & big picture thinking, strategy, variety, networking, communication, intuition to name just a few but we need to utilize these valuable processes.

The times we live in are demanding these processes as our world and how we do business is changing. Could it be a simple shift is called for? A shift from the left-brain (not forsaking it….it’s just not all sufficient, to the much needed, sought after, in high demand processes of our right brain.

Think about this…..there is a whole other world that we must integrate in order to meet the challenges of the next century…..and it’s just across the way

I prefer vampire movies, such as the Twilight Saga or even Dracula….they take blood from you, not deposit nasty critters into your blood system!

Filariasis or better known as elephantiasis is a tropical disease you get from a mosquito more common to places in Africa, yet one got to Central America where I was living and yes, bit me and 13 years later……I am still dealing with the pesky demon’s deposit…..

…..worms in my lymphatic system!!

The stage I’m in is called lymphedema. My lymph system is clogged up…with dying worm carcasses and their products such as their waste materials etc….so disgusting!

I am left extremely swollen and at times physically exhausted. One of the more painful stages of this tropical disease is the first stage where the worms are mating, yes, that’s right, they mate. Due to their nocturnal make-up, from 10pm till midnight they would come out of their resting place, in the lymph nodes of my right arm and proceed to carry on their sexual activity in my arm, which was excruciating pain to say the least as our lymph vessels are very tiny.

I have tried everything under the sun to kill, destroy, manage and reduce the numbers, in the thousands I’m told, of these parasitic demons. I was fortunate 10 years ago to bring my state into remission, where I was asymptomatic, which means they weren’t harming me and I could get on with living. Unfortunately, nearly 2 years ago, I became symptomatic as guess what….they woke up and came out to play again!

Last Spring, my girlfriend Teresa discovered what she thought may cure me of my nightmare. She had researched and found information on essential oils that may kill these particular parasites and bring relief as well. With her persistence, I finally gave the recommended oils a try. I did not expect what was to come. Expect the unexpected was truly the case here.

Within a 3 week period, there was a noticeable difference in my energy level and let me tell you….if that were all that I was to receive that would have been enough! But there was more goodness to come. I soon began to see a difference in swelling, in particular my abdomen and arms. I had put on over 15 pounds of fluid in a years time. Five pounds of fluid came off very quickly and being able to move about better I was able to go for walks and have increased these walks to 6km up hills along with a great hike this past summer up Mt. Cheam! And Teresa was right there with me, or rather, leading the charge!I am not one to with-hold good news from friends! I continue to use essential oils daily and have introduced family and friends to the joy of healthy living using these oils to bring relief from pain, better nutrition, improvement in health and energy etc.

Below is a list of oils that I use and what I use them for:

2 drops of peppermint 2 drops of lemon oil in 1/2 glass of water every morning. The best organ cleanse on the planet! I can feel my liver singing!

Frankincense (inflammation, lowers cortisol, etc)

Melaleuca (anti-fungal, virus, candida etc)

Zendocrine (liver, etc)

Oregano (anti-parasitic etc)

- 1 drop under tongue twice a day or in a small amount of water

I use the following topically, rubbed on my abdomen, arms and bottoms of feet:

Kristen Olynick

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Todd Anvick

I have completed numerous assessment tools that have been helpful, but somewhat abstract. I was intrigued by the science behind the NBI Brain Profile, hoping for concrete insight. The tool, and Kristen's consultation, have been the most helpful, enlightening and encouraging discovery process I have yet encountered. I came away with a detailed understanding of how I think, what I need to function in my "sweet-spot", and in what environments my brilliance can be best expressed.
I highly recommend (actually, I urge!) everyone, whether you are mid-career, at a crossroads, or just starting on the journey, to complete an NBI Brain Profile and discover more of how you're wired, how you function best, and what kind of pursuits will be a natural "fit" - wouldn't that be fun?
~ Todd Anvick - Operations Supervisor, Energy Sector

Joanne Patterson

"Since doing my profile I feel like someone came and took 'invisible chains' off. Things that have been negatives are now positives, and the direction I want to go in is that much clearer. Kristen you bring life to people and the journey of discovery to my brilliance was liberating."

Jason Vance

"I never knew there was so much to know about my brain! Kristen helped me find out things that I always sort of knew… but now I really know!"